Double deck freight car



T. w. DEMAREST DOUBLE DECK FREIGHT CAR Feb. 14, 1939.

4 Sheets-Sheet 1 NVENTOR.-'

Filed Dec. 28, 1937 ATTORNEYS.

Feb. 14, 1939;

INVENTOR- mas Wflemamst, W M

' ATTORNEYS 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 T. W. DEMAREST DOUBLE DECK FREIGHT CAR Flled Dec 28 1957 Feb. 14, 1939. 1w; DEMAREST 2,'147,014

DOUBLE DECK FREIGHT CAR I N V EN TOR:

A TTORNEYS.

7720212415 Wflemamst,

Patented Feb. 14, 1939 UNITED STATES DOUBLE DECK FREIGHT can Thomas W. Demarest, Haverford, Pa., assignor to The Pennsylvania Railroad'Company, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application December 28, 1937, Serial No. 182,06'l

14 Claims.

My invention relates generally to double deck freight cars but more particularly to the loading feature of such cars. The preferred embodiment of my invention described below is directed to double deck automobile cars.

The problem of getting automobiles to the upper deck of a double deck railway car has been met in some cases by using a high level loading platform outside the car. This is inconvenient and does not solve the problem at the many stations which do not have such equipment. Consequently the main object of my invention is the provision of an efiicient means vehicles in a double deck railway car without the need of some outside apparatus such as a high level loading platform for those automobiles being placed on or removed from the upper deck of the car. Another object of my invention is the provision of such means which will not interfere with the carrying capacity of the railway car. Another object is the provision of such means which may be operated easily without a larger power source or heavy lifting de- 25 vice such as a loading crane. Another object of my invention is to provide such means for use in a double deck car having a central well section, the carrying space at the car ends be- .ing restricted over the car trucks. Still further advantages will become apparent from the following detailed description of one embodiment of my invention, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. I of the drawings shows a longitudinal sectional view of an end portion of a double decked automobile car equipped with my invention, the elevator means in its loaded position and the car ready for travel.

Fig. II is a view similar to Fig. I with the elevator means raised to permit the removal of automobiles from the lower deck of the car.

Fig. III .is a vertical sectional view taken as indicated by the lines and arrows III-III of 45 Fig. I.

- Fig. IV is a view similar to Fig. III showing the movable roof section in a raised position, taken as indicated by the lines and arrows IV--IV in Fig. II.

50 'Fig. V is a fragmentary plan sectional view drawn to a larger scale and taken as indicated by the lines and arrows VV of Fig. I.

Fig. VI is a fragmentary sectional view of the movable roof section, showing how the edge of u the movable roof section "fits over the correfor loading and unloading automobiles or similar spondlng edge of the fixed roof section to make a weather tight closure.

Fig. VII is a perspective view of one of the guides which receives the contact member to urge the movable roof section up as the elevator 5 'means is raised beyond a certain point.

Fig. VIII is a perspective view of one of said contact members.

In the detailed description of a specific embodiment of the form of my invention disclosed in the drawings, I shall use specific terms but it is to be understood that similar or equivalent elements may be substituted for the specifically designated element in the drawings without departing from the spirit of my invention as hereinafter claimed. I contemplate the substitution for the specified elements of all equivalents which operate in substantially the same manner to perform substantially the same function as the element shown in the. drawings and hereinafter described.

The specific embodiment of my invention hereinafter described shows my invention installed in the end portion of a double-decked automoble car of the well section type positioned adjacent to a station platform. The invention of course might well be installed in some other portion of the car but installation in the end portion has worked most satisfactorily. It has been found desirable in practice to install my invention in both ends of a double deck ear. The general structure of the car shown is of a conventional nature and may be omitted for the sake of clarity. The car has an upper deck consisting of two trough-like wheel guides I, one 5 attached to each side of the car and extending longitudinally thereof. These wheel guides I are not connected to each other except through the separate car sides to which they are attached and hence the central portion of the upper deck 0 is missing. By providing the opening in the upper deck between the wheel guides I, automobiles on the lower deck may project up between the wheel guides I and an economy of space is thereby effected. If other commodities than automobiles are to be transported in the car, loading being done by. trucking, the upper deck should be made without the'opening between the wheel guides I. The wheel guides I terminate short of the door 3 at both ends of the car and this gap is filled in by an elevator means 2. The elevator means 2 is of suflicient length to receive thereon an automobile of the general character to be transported.

The elevator means 2 consists of two troughlike wheel guides 4 similar to the guides I, and two strong cross-pieces 5 joining the guides l rigidly together to form a skeleton platform.

relieve the cable strain and also prevent the elevator means 2 from swayingwhile the automobiles are in transit. Removable supporting means I are secured to the underside of the adjacent ends of the guides I and consist of a sliding element 3 carried in a guide III with capacity for horizontal movement. In its extended position the element 3 extends under and supports the adjacent end of guide 4. Similarly supporting means 8 support the other end of the elevator means 2 but operate in a diflerent way. An element I2 is pivotally attached to the car side at one end and at its other end rests on a bracket I3 also attached to the car side. In its up position the element I2 supports an end of the'cross-piece 5. There is one of these supporting means 8 for each end of cross-piece 5. When the element I2 is swung down, as shown in Fig. II, the cross-piece 5 is free for lowering. The outer ends of the wheel guides 4 are downwardly inclined at It to permit the easy rolling in place in transit by any usual form of tiedown, such as shown in the drawings.

Attached to each-end of the cross-pieces 5 are sheaves I5 and I6 and above these sheaves I5 and I6 are corresponding sheaves I1 and I8 attached to the car structure. The vertical movement of the elevator means 2 is guided by vertical guideways or channels II formed in or fixed to the car side opposite the line of vertical movement of the sheaves I5, and by roller members 2I formed on said sheaves I5 and extending into said guideways II as clearly appears in Fig. V. The roller members 2| fit easily into the guideways II and prevent the elevator means 2 from hitting the ends of guides I in raising or lowering. The alignment between the ends of guides I and the adjacent ends of guides I is thus preserved. Four cables I9 and 20 are -rove through these sheaves I5, I5, I1, and I8 to support the elevator means 2. Sheaves I5 are at the inner end of the elevator means 2 and sheaves I6 at the outer end of the elevator means 2. One end of the cable I9 is secured to theshell of the sheave I! and is led down through sheave I5, then through sheave I! to a hoisting means 23. There are four cables in all, two supporting each end of the elevator means 2. There are two hoisting means 23, one

I for each pair of cables I9 and 20. The two cables I9 supporting the inner end of the elevator means 2 go to the same hoisting means 23, while the two cables 20 supporting the outer end of the elevating means 2 go to the other hoisting means 23.- The hoisting means 23 are each attached to opposite sides of the car and are of a usual type which need not be described in detail here. each side of the car and one for each cable of the pair of cables attached to each hoisting means 23. The two .drums 24 of each hoisting means 23 are connected by a common shaft 25. It should be noted that the cables at thesame end of the elevator means 2 go to the same hoisting means 23, but different drums 24 thereof, so that the operation of one hoisting means 23 moves one end of the elevator means 2 and the operation of the means at its sides.

Each has two winding drums 24, one on other hoisting means 23 moves the other end of the elevator means 2. The elevator means 2 may II, but never transversely.

It wlllbe noted that when the elevator means 2 is in 'its normal position loaded with an automobile, the access to well section 21 of the car is partially blocked. The upper deck is spaced thus be inclined longitudinally as shown in Fig.

to permit an automobile to be carried thereon without touching the roof of the car whichis higher than the normal car roof line but within the clearance diagram, and also to permit the carrying of an automobile in the well section 21' beneath the upper deck. Because the well section 21 inclines upward at its ends over car trucks 28, there is not enough clearance beneath the elevator means 2 for the passage of an automobile to or from the well section 21. Now in order to give this necessary clearance below the elevator means 2 in loading and unloading the well section 21, the elevator section 2 is raised as indicated in Fig. II. When an automobile is on the elevator means 2, the automobile top mustv be raised above the roof line proper in order to allow an automobile to pass beneath the elevator means 2. Therefore, I provide a movable roof section 30 which is carried up by the elevator means 2' as it is elevated to provide the clearance referred to above.

The roof section 30 is of sumcient area to permit the top section of an automobile of the character to be transported to project through the opening thereby afforded in the roof proper of the car. It is ordinarily never necessary to elevate the elevator means 2 high enough to bring the hood of the automobile close to the roof line proper and hence the movable roof section 30 need not be extended to accommodate the whole automobile. It should be noted that the structure of the car with the roof section 3!! permits the car end to be dropped down to provide a transverse running board 3| at the level of the normal car roof line and also permits the use of a strengthening piece 32 over the car door 3 and across the end of the car. Cars going to the upper deck use the same door 3 as the cars for the lower deck and it is an advantage of my invention that this strengthening piece 32 may extend over the door.

The roof section 30 is of a usual structure and in its raised position is supported by contact These contact means 35 slide vertically in guides 36 secured to the car, and in order to permit the outer end of theroof section 30 to be lifted higher than the inner end, the contact means 35 are pivotally attached to the roof section 30 at 34. At the bottom ends of the contact means 35 are feet 3! extending inwardly of the car to contact the wheel guides l of the elevator means 2 as it is raised.

In order to providea substantially weathertight joint whenthe roof section 30 is closed, the roof section 30 is provided with an element 33 on all four edges having a downwardly turned flange 39 which fits over an. element 40 attached.

to the roof proper around the opening provided for the roof section 30. The elements 40 support the roof section 30 in substantial continuity with the surrounding roof surface. It should be noted that on four sides the flange 39 in extending down over the cooperating element 40, extends into a of the above described device. The elevator means 2 may function as an elevator when loading the upper deck in a manner obvious from the above description. Then in loading the upper deck, the elevator means 2 may again function as an elevator which is lifted clear of the cars passing thereunder. The elevator means 2 also becomes a rigid part of the upper deck by the use of the supporting means and 8 as described above. Thus my invention provides a simple, rugged and inexpensive means for loading and unloading a double decked automobile car. While I have described in some detail a specific embodiment of my invention, it will be obvious to one skilled in the art that numerous changes can be made therein and such variations are deemed to be within the scope of the novelty of my invention as pointed out in the following claims. Obviously my invention may be adapted for the transportation of commodities other than automobiles. For example, boxes could be trucked in and the elevator apparatus used as in the case of automobiles, the upper deck being made without a space between the wheel guides l.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a double deck freight car having an upper and a lower deck and a roof, an elevator means attached to the car 'at one end thereof and movable into alignment with the upper deck for free passage of freight, separate lifting means mounted on said car and attached to said elevator means at each end thereof, and a ver-i tically movable roof section over and cooperatively-actuable by said elevator means.

2. In a double deck freight car having a roof and an upper and a lower deck, an elevator means attached to the car at one end thereof and movable into alignment with the upper deck for free passage of freight onto and off the latter, lifting means mounted on said car and attached to said elevator means, and a vertically movable roof section over said elevator means, said roof section having contact means for contacting the elevator means when raised to a predetermined point whereby further upward movement of said elevator means will correspondingly elevate the roof section upward.

3. The invention of claim 2 characterized further by the fact that the contact means that contacts with said elevator means functions before the top of an automobile on said elevator means can engage the roof section.

4. In a railway automobile car having trucks at eachend, a roof, a well section extending downwardly between said trucks and providing a lower deck, an upper deck spaced between said roof and said lower deck, an elevator means attached to said car at one end thereof and movableinto alignment with the upper deck for free passage of an automobile onto and off the latter, a lifting means mounted on said car and attached to said elevator means, a vertically movable roof section over said elevator means, and vertically guided contact means having lateral projections coactive with the elevator means for raising said roof section as said elevator means is moved above a predetermined point. 7

5. The invention of claim 4 wherein the means for raising the roof section comprise opposed contact members pivotally attached to said roof section and having capacity for guided vertical movement, and said members having inwardly extending foot portions tocontact with the elevator means when the latter is raised above a predetermined point.

. 6, The invention of claim 2 wherein the movable roof section overlaps the adjacent edges of the car roof when in its down position thereby providing a substantially weather-tight closure.

7. In a freight car having an upper and lower deck; a movable elevator means attached to the car; lifting means mounted on said car and attached to said elevator means; a movable roof section above the elevator means and raisable thereby; and said elevator means being adapted to form an aligning continuation of the upper deck in its normal position raised and inclined above the level of said upper deck to provide head clearance relative to the freight car door, or lowered to the car floor for loading and unloading.

8. The invention of claim 7 wherein separate lifting means are provided at each'end of the elevator means to enable longitudinal inclination of the latter and the roof section.

9. The invention of claim '7 wherein the roof section is provided with contact means whereby it is vertically raised and correspondingly inclined by the elevator means when the latter is moved above the upper deck level.

10. The invention of claim 7 characterized further by the fact that slidable and pivotal supporting devices sustain the elevator means when in normal longitudinal alignment with the upper deck.

11. In a railway car, a vertically-movable roof section, an upper and a lower deck, an elevator means attached to said car and movable into alignment with the upper deck for free passage 'of freight onto and off the latter, means for normally supporting the elevator means longitudinally in continuation of said upper deck, contact means pendent from the roof section and engageable by the elevator means when raised above the upper deck, a separate hoisting means for each end of said elevator means, said hoisting means each having a winding drum, and a separate cable leading from each end of said elevator means to each of said winding drums.

12. The invention of claim 11 further characterized by the fact that the movable roof section above the elevator means has capacity for vertical movement and inclination to the horizontal, to afford head clearance for a vehicle on the elevator means as the latter means is raised above a predetermined point.

13. The invention of claim 11 further characterized by the fact that the upper and lower decks each comprise spaced trough-like guides for vehicle wheels, and that the upper deck including the elevator means isopen between said guides so that freight on the lower deck may project up between the upper deck and elevator wheel guides.

14. The invention of claim 11 further characterized by the fact that opposed vertical channels are formed in the car side, and rollers attached to the elevator means slide in said channels.

THOMAS W. DEMAREST. 

